Back on Track
by what-if-joana
Summary: Set after "Japril the Sequel", Jackson and April put the pieces of their relationship back together. Falling back into a routine is easier than expected and they find themselves living the happy family life, which they ought to have in the first place. Fluff, fluff and more fluff!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The car ride home, April spent making funny faces for Harriet, gushing some high-pitched sounds for her. She touched her feet, played with her little fingers and bumped her nose against her daughter's. By the sounds Harriet made, April knew Harriet was just as happy to have her mother back as April was to be back with her. Reuniting with one's mother was always the best for a little kid like Harriet.

And maybe it was even happy for more grown-up kids as well, April mused when she noticed the glances Jackson shot back over his shoulder, not to check on Harriet, but to look for Catherine. April tried to make a sense out of their looks, but neither Jackson nor Catherine would meet her gaze.

When Catherine leaned forward to brush her hand over Jackson's shoulder and he held her hand there for a moment, squeezing, April figured he must have told Catherine about his encounter with his father. They usually weren't this intimate with each other, especially in the last weeks, which had put pressure upon all of them.

Most of the pressure had been released when leaving Montana, but being back in Seattle was a whole other situation. Back to reality, and maybe Montana was just a dream, a bad dream, which Jackson would want to forget about. His father had upset him quite a bit, and maybe it was best to think that it had never happened. Maybe all of Montana never happened, but April was getting ahead of herself, jumping to conclusions, which might turn out wrong.

Back home, they put all their attention on Harriet, playing with her, feeding her, bathing her. Their whole world revolved around her and they were happy to be full-time parents after the days without her in Montana. They way they avoided to have a proper conversation about the things, which had happened in those days in Montana. April had no clue what the events of Montana meant. Were they together now? Or were they over for good and was Montana just their final goodbye?

Jackson seemed occupied with his father and the case; they had no had a chance to discuss what it meant to their relationship. April gave Jackson space and time to process all of that; she would not push him and risk the chance of pushing him away, even though another shot together was something he might deep down wanted more than a break-up for good.

To her it was crystal clear; she wanted him. More than just for sex, more than just as her daughter's father, and more than just a friend. She wanted all of him. She loved him; she had never stopped, not once. He was it to her, but she was afraid if she told him that he would snap after the emotional roller coaster with his father.

He had been distracted and preoccupied with it and discussing their future together needed his undivided attention and should not be decided on a whim. If he needed more time, she would be willing to wait a little longer and give him the time he needed. Waiting was not a problem for her; she would be in his life forever anyway because they had a daughter together. Seeing each other was inevitable.

When it was time to get Harriet for bed, none of them wanted to step back. They were eager to care for Harriet, even though it was ridiculous when two people performed a task, which could be done easily by one. Most of the time they were in the other's way. April tried not to read too much into his hand brushing her wrist or his hip bumping into hers. She told herself that this touches were friendly and meant nothing more. They happened by accident and the smile on Jackson's face was because of Harriet and not because he enjoyed the easy banter with April, arguing if Harriet should wear her PJ's with the puppies or the little ducklings on it.

After taking Harriet to bed and making she was asleep, they sat in the living room; the baby monitor was sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. The TV was on, but neither April nor Jackson was paying attention to the program that was on. They had eaten and exhaustion of the last days took over. Even though, they had traveled on a private plane they were tired from the travel from Montana.

Just like all afternoon and evening, they would not speak about what should be discussed and was sitting like a big elephant in the room, but April refrained from pushing to talk about it. She decided she could not longer take the silence anymore; she exhaled deeply and called it a night, getting up and jerking her head towards the hallway. "I will go to my room and sleep," she said, smiling warily at him.

Jackson looked up at her, his Adam's apple wobbled, but no words left his lips. So, April added quickly, "Shall I take the first Harriet shift?"

In response, Jackson shook his head, indicating that he would take care of their daughter, and April figured he needed to be there for Harriet since he had doubted he was a good father. He needed to prove it to himself that he was capable of doing so.

"OK. Good night then," April said softly, and made her way to her bedroom, glancing back at Jackson, who had his legs propped up on the couch and smacked a fist on his knee up and down. By that, April knew that something was bothering him. She could not leave him like this alone; no one should be alone if something was not right for him or her.

"Are you OK? I can stay with you a little while longer if you want," April said hesitantly. She could not bear the thought of him sitting there all alone by himself; dwelling on whatever thought was on his mind.

"No, it's fine. Go to bed." Jackson turned his head over his shoulder to meet her gaze.

The smile, which should reassure her of his words, did not convince April, who said, "Jackson, I'm worried about you. You should not be alone now."

"It's alright, April," Jackson argued, sitting a little straighter. He had stopped bumping the fist up and down.

However, April did not believe any word he was speaking, taking a step closer to the couch, adding emphasis on the words she spoke, "I'm here for you. We can talk about it."

For a few moments, Jackson did not respond anything to that, taking the words in. She could tell he was debating something, going back and forth with arguments and reasons because there was this thin line between his eyebrows when he thought about something hard. His face relaxed when he finally said, "Go to our room. I'll be there in a bit."

April's mouth dropped open to his reply. She was not sure if she understood him correctly. "Our room?"

"You think I will let you go back to your room after what happened in Montana? That would not make any sense." Jackson smiled at her, tilting his head.

"I didn't think anything," April argued, a deep frown forming on her face, shaking her head in disbelief. In a perfect world, yes, she had thought about them spending the night together in one bed, getting their relationship back on track, but she would never admit that to him.

"Stop lying," Jackson said. He knew her better than that, her attempts of keeping her thoughts a secret were useless. He further added, "Make yourself comfortable in our room and I'll clear things up here, and then we'll talk."

"OK," April answered, not sure how to make sense out of his behavior. She bit her lip, watching him as he got up to fetch the plates on the coffee table when he noticed her still standing there, he said, "April, I'm serious, go!"

April did indeed go, but not in the direction of Jackson's bedroom, which she could start calling their bedroom again, but she made her way to him, her hands reaching out to frame his face and she placed a gentle soft kiss against his lips. Jackson responded to the kiss after a second. She rested her forehead against his when she pulled away from the kiss. She whispered, "Just keep in mind that I love you. With all that is happening around you, please, remember that you've got me."

Then, they heard some sounds from the baby monitor, which made April chuckle. She added, "And Harriet. You've got us."

She let go of him and took the baby monitor in her hands, listening to the sounds Harriet was making. She tried to figure out what kind of whimper it was.

"Check on Harriet and I'll take care of the rest," Jackson told her, jerking his head in the hallway's direction.

But April shook her head, reaching for his hand to place the baby monitor in it. "No, you should check on Harriet."

"April." Jackson sighed, meeting her gaze.

"No discussion about it, " she said and patted his chest with her index finger. "Go look out for our daughter," she demanded, and Jackson obeyed her, brushing his hand over her upper arm as he passed to check on Harriet just like April instructed. He could not wait to finally be in their bedroom again, having April nestled against his side, and drifting off to a peaceful sleep. Too much had happened in the last days and he could really use the peace.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this little story. I will try to update daily, since the story will only have a total of five chapters. Let me know what you think so far. (:


	2. Chapter 2

_Frist things first, thank you to everyone, who left me these kind words and to every single person, who either hit the follow or fave-button or both. You are amazing. I'm happy how well-received this little story is so far. It's absolutely not my style to post stories with such short updates like this, but I'm relieved people still enjoy them. It's my first time writing for a still running show and I definitely like the experience so far._

 _If parts of the following chapter sound familiar to you that is because I published parts of this as a drabble on Tumblr some time ago. You may find me there as jj-heart. Other than that, I have nothing left to say, but enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Their discussion of their relationship status was easy and did not take up a whole evening like they thought they would. They were on the same page. It was all or nothing, no in-betweens anymore, no uncertainty, complete honesty between them. They wanted each other; they had never stopped wanting each other. Therefore, they were back in a relationship; they did not care for titles. Boyfriend and girlfriend were certainly not the right terms, but they were together and that was what mattered. Jumping back into a marriage was not something they wanted to get themselves rushed into. For now, they would enjoy what they had together, which were a family.

Finally, they formed the picture perfect little family with Harriet: Mother, father, and child. United together just like April had pictured her adult life as a child and April could not be happier about it. That was what she always wanted, that's what she hoped would happen, down the line, when she signed those divorce papers over a year ago. Give people space and they will come back to you eventually if you were what they really needed and wanted. And Jackson did come back to her. He made it clear, with letting her move in with him that he was not ready to let her and Harriet go for good.

Jackson seemed more content these days too. One part of his life was not a mess anymore, and he could start processing the encounter with his father, trying to come to peace with it. Sometimes, he would seek a discussion about it with April, but not very often, they enjoyed being with each other in peace instead.

Which was part of the reasons why they kept their reconciliation to themselves; they did not need any gossip in the hospital when their relationship was still this new and fresh. They wanted to explore where it led them without anyone watching. The hospital was not the ideal place to share intimacy anyway, even though they had proven that fact wrong in the past. Sometimes Jackson would drag April to a storage room just to steal a kiss from her like the good old times, but the times of heavy make-out session there were long over.

They took their exchange of love back at home, where it belonged. When their relationship status was out in the world again, they would reconsider that decision, but for now, the few glances and subtle brushes over the other's arm or back would have to do. They did not work together much anyway, which meant they did not see much of the other, and therefore, they would not come in any comprising situations.

They only had short evenings, which could be spent together. The first couple nights were used to turn Jackson's bedroom to theirs and April's bedroom to the guest room again. The other evenings they tried to enjoy the little time they had. Lately, when whenever she had a day off, he was at work or the other way around, so they did not see much of the other.

That was why Jackson was looking forward to going to work with her at the same time, sharing a car ride with one another, which hardly ever happened. However, that morning April did not feel well. She had caught a cold, and even felt a little nauseous. Jackson made her stay at home, even suggested that he would take Harriet to the nursery, so April could recharge and get fit again without the need to look after Harriet. But April argued that she could take care of her. She said, "I'm not sick, I just don't feel fit enough to work. Don't take my baby away from me."

After some back and forth, Jackson was finally persuaded that Harriet could stay with April, but he insisted, "Call me when you get worse. I can come home and take care of the both of you."

April appreciated his offer. "Go, we will be fine," she told him, nudging him towards the door. Harriet was popped against her side as she did so.

"Text me," Jackson insisted again, and placed a kiss on Harriet's head as a goodbye, and then looked up to meet April's gaze, who was nodding. He smiled at her and left for work. By the way she responded to his instructions, he was certain she would not ask him for help even if she needed it. It was upon him to check in with her.

Over the day he would send her texts, asking if she was all right, only getting short answers from her, which would not convince him. He insisted upon seeing photos, just to be sure both of his girls were OK, but April only snapped pictures of Harriet, adding funny comments. The little messages kept Jackson going through the day, which turned out far worse than he had expected. Maggie's mother sought for his advice and he had to watch a family drama arise right in front of him. He was not sure it was the right call to keep Maggie in the dark about Diane's medical condition, but he had to respect Diane's wishes.

He was more than happy to finally come home after that day and find April and Harriet both lying on the couch, waiting for him to come home. Harriet was fast asleep on top of April, who had her eyes closed to as well. After dropping off his clothes and bag, Jackson flopped himself down next to April. He greeted his daughter with a kiss on the head. Harriet stirred for a moment, but did not wake up. April, on the other hand, opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to her surroundings. In the meantime, Jackson kept whispering to Harriet, "It's so good to finally be with my girls."

April smiled at this; her eyes were still small from the sleep she had been woken up from, but she met Jackson's gaze. He leaned back on the couch a little more and started to relax. All in all, he was relieved to be home, and he brought his left arm around Harriet, making sure she knew he was there for her. He took a moment before he said, "We will never lie to our daughter, OK?"

"I thought you wanted to tell her about Santa? Isn't that lying?" April asked, looking at him puzzled, brushing the sleep out of her eyes.

Jackson clearly recalled their discussion about Santa and other big events whilst April was pregnant with Harriet, but that was not what Jackson had in mind, he corrected her, "I refer to the big stuff. We don't keep the big stuff from her."

Which made April turn her head to look Jackson straight in the eye. "Jackson, what happened today?"

She had no clue where this was coming from, but Jackson had no attention to make her understand. He was not the slightest bit surprised that she could read him that well though. She knew him better than anyone else. "I don't want to talk about it," Jackson said, while he brushed his hand over Harriet's back up and down, avoiding looking at her, which he knew would make him talk.

April looked at Harriet again as well, seeing her sleep peacefully atop of her while Jackson caressed her back, was certainly a good view. However, after a moment, she stated, "I thought you didn't want to keep secrets from our daughter?"

Even tough Jackson frowned and grumbled, April insisted, "Tell us what happened."

There was no arguing with her when she used that firm, yet soft voice with him, so, reluctantly, Jackson told her the story of how Diane didn't want to worry Maggie about her cancer and how he was caught in the middle of all of this. It was a stressful day at work and Jackson did not want to think ahead and think of the drama that this secret keeping might cause in the future.

It felt good for him to leave it behind him for now, to have someone to speak about it and listen to his worries. In the end, being close to his girls always made him feel better. Their presence was his safe harbor, his happy place, where no worries could find him.

"Agreed", April said after she had listened to him, asking only small comprehension questions. "We will never lie to our daughter," she agreed with Jackson as she held on to his arm, which was safely placed around Harriet's back. She drew little circles on his skin, trying to soothe his nerves with this.

It seemed to be working because Jackson whispered, "Thanks."

Then he leaned forward to nuzzle Harriet's head. The pictures April had sent all day long made him miss her even more than usual and he wanted to make the most out of his time with her, enjoying the little things and enjoying it while she was too little to resist his display of love. There would come a time, in which she would not be too fond to have her father showering in kisses, Jackson was well aware of that fact. He had to take his chance as long as it was still there.

"If we don't keep any secrets from her, well no big ones, we should probably tell her that you and I-" She paused and waited for him to stop nuzzling Harriet, bringing his attention back to her.

When Jackson to meet April's gaze, seeing her biting her lip again, he smiled at her. "She already knows that," Jackson stated with a knowing nod.

There were some things you could not keep from your daughter and it was good that way. He wanted Harriet to know every single bit of his life, he wanted to be able to share the big stuff with her because he wanted her to come to him with the big stuff as well. He pushed the thoughts of keeping his relationship with April from his mother away and concentrated on the only present woman, who was awake right now.

"How are you?" He asked and pulled on a strand of April's hair behind her ear. In the process, he checked her forehead, which was not hot at all.

"Much better," April answered, a small smile playing on her lips.

Jackson smiled again, raising an eyebrow; his hand rested on her cheek, caressing it softly, his thumb brushed against her lips. "Is it safe for me to kiss you hello?"

* * *

 _Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow. In the meantime, please let me know what you think. (:_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The cold or whatever bug April was suffering from came back in the morning. She took another day off from work, calling in sick, staying in yet another day, but this time around Jackson did not let Harriet stay with her. He took her to the nursery, so April would be able to recover without the need to worry about Harriet.

This time it was Jackson, who kept sending April pictures of Harriet. He took every opportunity to sneak to the nursery, checking on his daughter and then checking on the sick girl at home.

April appreciated the photos she received from him because they kept her going through the day. Even though the nauseous feeling had gone away sometime in the afternoon, after throwing up twice in the morning, she still felt weak from the day. Since she did not have to push through the day for Harriet, this time around she could really sulk in the sickness, being lazy, only watching TV and sleeping, not eating anything, too scared she would not be able to keep in. She forced herself to drink water and some herbal tea to stay hydrated during the day.

When she laid eyes on her two favorite people in the world in the evening, she felt better because seeing Harriet always lifted her spirits. As she gave Harriet a round of cuddles, she engaged with some small talk with Jackson, asking him about his day, while he asked about her condition.

"I think I will stay in tomorrow too," April said, which made Jackson frown. He was concerned and April appreciated it, but he could be overprotective. She added. "It's my day off anyway. I will keep it easy."

Jackson approved of her decision; he seemed calmer as he started to prepare dinner for them. He decided on some soup for April to make sure her stomach would not be unsettled by her food intake.

She watched him cooking, as she took care of Harriet. She could not believe how easy the last weeks had been, how easy they had fallen back into a routine, and how right it felt. She did not want anything to disturb their happiness.

That's why she pretended to be OK when he left the next day in the morning. She told him she felt fine, but, in reality, April felt nauseous again. She did not want to worry Jackson again and wished him a good day.

Her day did not start as well as his, she ran to the bathroom and threw up first thing in the morning, even before Harriet was awake. As she brushed her teeth to get rid of the sour taste in her mouth, she tried to make sense of her symptoms, which would not add up to an ordinary stomach bug. She was not nauseous in the evening or at night and did not suffer from diarrhea either. Moreover, she had not eaten proper food in two days, which would cause food poising. She was going through a list of possible infections and diseases through her head to make sense out of her condition. She was a doctor after all.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by Harriet's cries echoing from the baby monitor in the bedroom to the bathroom. While April rinsed off her toothbrush and putting it back to its place, the right diagnosis fell like scales from her eyes. How could she misinterpret the symptoms like that?

It was not a disease she was suffering from after all. And to prove her assumption, she could take a test easily at home. All she had to do was get Harriet ready and they could leave to buy one.

By the time Jackson came home in the evening, April knew for sure if she was right with her assumption or not. The test she took rested safely stored in a drawer in the bathroom. When the time was right, April would show the result to Jackson. She had laid out a plan how she would tell him the news, but in order to make that happen, she had to go through the evening without an incident and avoiding the subject of her supposedly sickness. However, Jackson picked up on the little things, her averting of any questions concerning her health condition.

"You're still sick?" Jackson asked suddenly, and when April did not answer, but kept loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, he assumed the worst. "April, this can't go on any longer. You should see a doctor for this, run some tests."

"I agree," April answered, wiping her hands in a clean dishtowel. "I already made an appointment for next week."

"Thank god." Jackson exhaled, closing the dishwasher with his foot, and then leaning back on the kitchen counter.

"But it's not that kind of doctor you might think," April said as she turned around, placing the dishtowel on the peg close the kitchen sink.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson asked.

April could tell by the way he spoke that he was irritated and was not getting where she was heading with the conversation. Even though she had planned to tell him differently, she threw her well-laid out plans overboard, and decided to tell him without any extraordinary arrangements and any built-up. "I'm not sick, Jackson. I'm pregnant."

Jackson's eyes widened at the same time as a smile spread across his face. So wide, April had never seen him this happy in the past.

Before she could say anymore, she was swept off her feet and drawn into a hug. She was pressed tightly against his chest, bringing her arms around his neck out of reflex, giggling into his shoulder.

Jackson's arms were securely placed around April's back, making sure she would not go anywhere, but most important she would not drop to the ground. He then started spinning, April figured out of joy because he laughed into her hair, close to her ear, which brought a chill down her spine.

Out of fear, she would knock something over with her legs, which were spinning in the air as well she brought them around Jackson. One of Jackson's hands adjusted to the new situation, shifting a little, so he could hold her a little lower around the hip. That's how she got in the clingy monkey pose, which Jackson and she had grown to love so much. She felt closest like this with him because she was on the same eye level as him. Not even a thin piece of paper would fit between them. She was his when he held her like that, just as much as he was hers.

"We're having another baby," Jackson breathed into April's hair, a little out of breath from the spinning. He had stopped turning, but still hugging April close, roaming his hands over her back, but not once loosening his grip on her.

"Yes," was all April managed to say. She was relieved how well Jackson reacted to the news. This was the best reaction she could imagine. There was no better way than him picking her up and spinning her through the kitchen out of joy.

"I can't-" Jackson trailed off, and then he said after a moment of composing himself. "Harriet will be a sister."

When April heard those words, she froze. The smile on her face grew smaller instead of wider. She buried her face into Jackson's crook of the neck, inhaling his scent, trying to hold back the tears, which suddenly filled her eyes. To her mind came the two difficult pregnancies she had to experience. Samuel, who was no longer here with them, and she was afraid of going through something like this again. She gripped Jackson's shirt tighter into her hands, holding on to him in some way. Jackson's words echoed through her head again. Harriet would be a sister, but that was not true. She was already a sister to Samuel, even though they had not met.

"Harriet will be a sister again," April corrected Jackson, who loosened his grip on her, letting her sink down to her feet, so he could look her in the eye.

When she met his gaze, she confessed just above a whisper, "I'm scared, Jackson."

Jackson brought his hands to her face, framing it, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. He shook his head at her, and simply said, "Don't."

"What if-" April argued, but Jackson cut her off, "Don't go there!"

"But what if this baby-" April started to argue again, but once again Jackson interrupted her.

"We will take all the necessary tests, so we know for sure that everything is alright with this baby. And it _will_ be alright," Jackson assured her, caressing her jaw with his fingers. She leaned into his touch, taking heavy breaths. "Just like Harriet," Jackson reminded her.

April closed her eyes, exhaled, and then said, "But Samuel."

Which made Jackson draw her into another hug, nestling her head under his, popping his chin on her head. His arms wrapped firmly around her. "It will be fine, trust me," Jackson said, His voice was calm, but his heartbeat gave him away. April could feel it beating at an increased speed in his chest, telling her that way that he certainly was affected by that upsetting fact just as much as her.

"You can't know that," April argued, her voice was muffled against his shirt, which was soaked the tears it caught from her face.

"I can hope for it. Believe in it, just like you did with Harriet," Jackson reminded her, one of his hands pulled her head even closer towards her. April felt safer him because he acted like her personal shield.

"Until I had my breakdown," April interjected, pressing her eyes together, shutting herself off from the world, and not wanting to relive uncomfortable memories.

All she registered was the caress of Jackson's hands, pulling her closer and closer to his chest, while words of comfort left his mouth, "I'm here to catch you when you break down. You're not alone. You never were alone. But I'm right there with you. Every step of the way."

The more Jackson spoke, the more April relaxed. She wanted the words he spoke to be true. She wanted this pregnancy to turn out as fine as the one with Harriet. She wanted to have another healthy baby, but the loss she had experienced with Samuel still gripped her to the marrow. She could not shake the fear off so easily, but as long as Jackson would be by her side, she was certain she could survive and get through such pain once more. They had grown as a couple since then, and they would not let them a loss like that drive them apart again.

Eventually, April pushed out of the tight embrace, lifting her head again to search for Jackson's eyes, which were still filled with the happy glimpses she had caught before she turned the happy moment into a sad one. She cleared her throat and then said, "I don't want to spoil this. We can go public when we know for sure I will keep the baby."

Jackson gave his consent to her decision with nodding. He added, "We should get Arizona check up on you and the baby."

"No, she won't do it." April shook her head. "Not after what happened the last time. We'll go to one of the other doctors she recommended."

Again, Jackson nodded to April's decision, which made April smile again. The big decisions were made so easily, without a hint of disagreement; everything went smoothly. She wished things had been this easy with Harriet's pregnancy. The difference was, even though they were not married, they acted as a couple, which was calling the shots together, where each person's opinion was worth just as much as the others. She could rely on him without doubting his actions.

Jackson smiled back at her, pulling the hair out of her face to gain a better look at her. The happiness outweighed over the news again. Both were taking heavy breaths, getting lost in the other's eyes, not wanting to break the moment and stay there in their happy bubble forever, but this time around Harriet claimed via baby monitor to be their center of attention again. Jackson and April would smile even wider at the other, just like Jackson had reacted initially. He let go of her, making his way to Harriet's room, reaching behind him to get a grip on April's hand to drag her with him. April compiled happily, she did not want to be apart from him either, not with the news she just shared with him.

* * *

 _Another surprise pregnancy for japril - I'm not that surprised, are you? Hope you enjoyed it. (:_


	4. Chapter 4

_Here's yet another chapter, which is partly recycled from a drabble I posted on my Tumblr. It's the story a few people asked me to expand on and that's how this story was born. I hope you enjoy it nevertheless._

 _I will update today and tomorrow a little earlier than usual, so I will be able to give everybody enough time to read the update before the new episode of Grey's airs tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to some japril-scenes, hopefully!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Even though Harriet was with April as she bought the pregnancy test, April had not told her about the possibility of giving a sibling to her. The danger of Harriet blabbing out the surprise was not given, however, April wanted Jackson to be the first person to know about this. She wanted him to be there to tell Harriet that she would be a sister again, even if she would not be able to understand their words properly.

In the end, Harriet made her way into the big moment herself by crying, and both April and Jackson went to see her, finding her wide awake in her bed, the eyes a little reddened from crying. Jackson picked her up to calm her down; bobbing her up and down would usually play the trick. Tonight it took longer than usual, but eventually, Harriet was calm enough, resting her head against Jackson's chest. He smoothed over her head, placing a kiss on it. "Listen, sweetheart, Mommy and I have to tell you something."

Jackson watched as April stepped up closer to them, wrapping on arm around his torso, while she brought her other one up to Harriet's face, pinching her cheek lightly. Jackson noticed the big smile on her face, which would probably match his. She spoke in the high voice she always used around Harriet, "We're having a baby. Yes, you will be a big sister. You'll have another brother or sister."

Jackson chuckled at how April's voice sounded more like a singsong than an actual speaking voice. Under normal circumstances, Harriet would enjoy it, but today it made her cranky again. Before Jackson could start his calming program of rocking her back and forth, April was patting Harriet's back lightly, talking in a softer voice, "Oh, nugget. No, we won't love you any less. No need to be afraid."

Only April could interpret Harriet's aversion towards her singsong voice as a dislike of the possibility of having to share the parents with another sibling. However, Jackson did not know what it was like to share his mother with a brother or sister, whereas April grew up with three sisters, always fighting for attention and love. Maybe, Harriet was right to be upset about the prospect of getting only half the attention. Jackson did not know himself yet how he would handle two children at once and how he would make sure every of the two human beings would get the same amount of attention. He started to worry and think about those things.

That's why he did not protest when April took Harriet out of his grip, telling her over and over again that Jackson and she loved her with all their heart, and never leaving her side, even with another baby on the way.

Eventually, Harriet was calm enough to put her down again, she stirred for a couple of minutes, both Jackson and April staying with her, dimming the lights to make her fall asleep more easily.

The second they left the room, April crashed into Jackson's arms again, bringing her arms tightly across his torso, burying her nose in his shirt. Jackson had started to hug her back, when she pushed herself away a little, standing on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips, so lightly that he thought he had imagined it. He had not a chance to respond to the kiss. She slipped out of his embrace. He watched as she made her way to the bedroom, turning around as she passed the door frame. "You're coming?"

Jackson frowned; he could not make any sense out of her behavior.

"We should celebrate," April said with emphasis.

He did not need to be told twice and closed the distance between them with three big strides, pushing her into the room and then closing the door behind him. All he could register were April's eyes and the giggles, which left her mouth and filled the room.

That night was spent to celebrate the pregnancy, they celebrated the new life they had created with each other in Montana. They also talked about how they would deal with this pregnancy. They agreed on keeping the pregnancy a secret for now. They would tell people once the first trimester was over and they would be sure April would keep the baby. In the meantime, the pregnancy was yet another issue they would keep a secret. In the past weeks, they had gotten good at doing so.

The following weeks were filled with a lot of tests and check-ups; they baby seemed fine so far, but regular check-ups needed to be done nevertheless. Jackson was relieved that April was taking the tests seriously and would not just believe in god and hope for everything to be fine. They had learned that lesson the hard way.

At work, Jackson had to learn another hard thing about life. At first, he had to watch the family drama he had feared unfold right in front of his eyes, Maggie found out about her mother's cancer and she did everything and more trying to save her life. She fought hard to keep her mother alive, and Jackson cherished every moment he could spend with Harriet at home. Watching Maggie losing her mother like that was not pretty and Jackson understood how precious every moment with the parents was. Diane's death was even harder to watch because of the task she had entrusted him with. It was resting so heavy on his shoulders because he could not discuss it with anyone.

At home, he would concentrate on the good sides of life, trying to keep April's nerves about the pregnancy at bay, and his own worries not being capable of treating two kids equally. The situation seemed to overwhelm him and he was relieved that at least one of the heavy tasks could be finally taken from his shoulders. Maggie was finally ready to receive the photos Diane had given to him, and Jackson was relieved that his task could be comprehended without an incident, no major incident.

He granted Maggie all the time she needed to process this news; therefore he could not leave until late. He hadn't informed April about his whereabouts in advance by sending her a text like he would usually do when a surgery took longer than expected. When he finally entered the apartment, feeling a little exhausted, April was surprised but also worried.

He let himself fall next to April on the couch, exhaling deeply. It all seemed like he had been here before. Getting home like this had become a routine. Jackson didn't bother exchanging words of hello, but asked, "Where's Harriet?"

"I put her down half an hour ago," April said, turning her head in his direction, studying him with concern. "Where have you been?"

"I stopped by at Maggie's," Jackson replied, leaning further back and resting his head on the couch, slowly starting to realize that one of his big worries were off his to-do list.

April made herself a little more comfortable too, bringing her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. "What for?" She asked.

"I had to show her something," Jackson avoided answering directly because he didn't want to discuss it just now. He needed some silence, some time apart from what had happened with Maggie and her mother. Some time to process it himself.

However, April didn't like to be kept in the dark, and she dug deeper, not giving him the time he desperately wanted. "What was it?"

Jackson remained silent for a moment and debated whether to dive into this conversation or not. He decided there was no reason to keep this to himself any longer. "Some pictures her mother gave to me." Then, Jackson closed his eyes and took one deep breath, before he went on talking, "Of all the stuff her mother accomplished to do before she died."

April had to clear her throat before she said, "Oh. That must have been hard for you."

"I had to do it." Jackson sat up straighter, leaning forward, bringing his elbows on his knees and resting his head on his hands.

April smoothed over his back, but pressed for another answer, "Why did it have to be you? Couldn't Meredith do it? She is her sister and you're only her mother's doctor."

That made Jackson sit straighter again, turning around to face April. "I'm her brother. And that's what brothers do for their sister."

"You're not her brother," April scoffed.

"I am. Not by blood, but she's Richard's daughter. And he's married to my mom, which means she's my sister," Jackson clarified quite angrily, which made April shift uncomfortably in her seat. He said further, "That's what brothers do. They are there for their sisters when the parents aren't there anymore. That's what we all have left in the end. Our siblings. You of all people should know that."

Jackson had thought about siblings a lot ever since they had found about the pregnancy. He had no clue what it meant to have a sibling, but now with Maggie he finally understood how important such relationship was. He wanted Harriet and her future sibling to have a tight bond. He wanted them to rely on each other, be there for each other, whenever Jackson or April failed them. Two against the world.

April nodded, but remained silent. She watched as he leaned back next to her on the couch, and then whispered, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Jackson said, reaching his hand out for her knee, patting a few times. "I just hope that Harriet will do the same for her sister."

Jackson did not know why he referred to the unborn baby as Harriet's sister, but in his imagination, they would have another daughter. The thought of having a son was probably too sad to be revisited. April didn't argue his assumption, but laid her head on his shoulder.

He was relieved she did not push for a fight about his. He had been on the edge of his nerves lately with the drama around Maggie's mother and the unexpected news they tried to keep a secret. April grabbed his hand and placed it flat on her stomach, patting it lightly as it rested there. "She will. That's what you do for sisters. Take care of them. Love them. Just like you do for yours."

Jackson turned his head to place a kiss on her forehead. They didn't say much about that topic anymore, leaving it where it belonged, in the past. Maggie had to look forward too, her mother would not be coming back. But in the process, she had gained a brother, who would stand by her side.

It was good to just be in the moment and not talk too much. Being with each other was more than enough. However, April broke the peacefulness by saying, "Maybe now is not the right time to tell you that I had to go through this surgery with abdominal tuberculosis?"

"Are you crazy?" Jackson asked her. He had not seen something like that coming his way.

"It's fine. I have antibodies," April shrugged it off.

"Still. This can be very dangerous for the baby," Jackson argued. He could not believe how carelessly she acted about it.

"I could not know this was what Cross suffered from. When I realized it was too late; my hands were already inside him. We are surgeons; that's what we do, saving people's lives," April said.

"This would not have happened if people at work would know about your pregnancy," Jackson sighed.

"It would have happened anyway," April said, waving his objections off.

"We should tell people." He wished the three months would already be over. Only a week was left. He could not wait to make all the big changes in his life public again, and not living a secret double life.

"Soon, just a little bit longer," April reminded him, intertwining her fingers with his, squeezing them.

"April." Jackson sighed again. He was tired off all of what had happened in the last weeks.

"I'm serious. And then we can come clean with everything. I promise, let me get through the first trimester." She scooted closer to him. "And in the meantime, I will promise, I will stay away from all dangerous infections if I can help it."

All Jackson could do was take her words for granted and remind her of them if she would forget about them soon. He could not await the day he could sleep again through the night without a single worrying thought keeping him awake. The only person, who was allowed to wake him whenever and keep him awake at night, and that was Harriet. And sometime in the future, Harriet's brother or sister would be granted the same special treatment as well.

* * *

 _I hope you liked today's update. Only one more chapter to go. I see you tomorrow!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The day April finally hit her second trimester of the pregnancy came soon enough and Jackson and April discussed how they would announce the big changes in their life. They wanted to do it right this time, making it clear that this was what both of them wanted and not a decision on a whim.

Therefore, their relationship status needed to be discussed. To April it was clear where they were heading to, there was no other way than to get married when they enjoyed being a family in the past weeks so much. She wanted to call Jackson her husband again because that was the only title that felt right to her.

However, Jackson had no intention of putting a ring on her finger soon. He said, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves and enjoy what we already have."

"No marriage?" April asked again, lowering her head, looking at her hands in her lap. She was disappointed that no ring would be on her left ring finger anytime soon. She missed the ring sitting there, she wanted it to have the extra weight resting on her finger.

"Not yet," Jackson exhaled, reaching for her hands in her lap, so she would not be able to fumble with them any longer.

"OK," April breathed just above a whisper, still not meeting his gaze. She tried to be supportive and understanding. There was no need to get married right this second. They had a baby born out of wedlock before and they were still here. Another baby would not hurt them either.

Jackson squeezed her hand, which made her raise her head to look into his eyes. "We will make it official, I promise," he said, squeezing her hand again. "I don't want to put any extra stress or pressure on you or the baby at the moment with planning a big wedding. And there's nothing more than I want for you and the baby to be safe and healthy. That is my main priority. We will get married, but this time around we will make it right."

April was relieved to hear those words. He wanted the same thing like her. He wanted to get married, he wanted to be her husband. And Jackson was right, after all, a healthy baby should be their priority. Worrying about the legal status of their relationship could be done sometime later when a healthy baby was resting in their arms. However, there was one thing, which needed to be questioned. "Make it right?"

"I will propose," Jackson explained matter-of-factly.

It made April both laugh and frown. She sighed deeply, "Jackson."

However, Jackson was not in the mood for a discussion, laying out his plan step-by-step, going into details. His words were so calm and soft, April's heart melted just by hearing his voice. "I will make a big deal out of it. A big romantic gesture, telling you how much I love you and how I can't imagine a life without you and how I want to spend it with you for the rest of my life."

He reached for a strand of hair framing her face, playing with it between his fingers. "I will go down on one knee and you will squeal your answer, throw your hands around me, hugging me so tightly that I will probably have troubles to breathe. I will stand up and you will bring your legs around me like a monkey, just like you always do."

They smiled at each other, and April brought her hand to Jackson's chest, roaming over it, encouraging to go on with the pleasing imagine he put into her head. "And then you will whisper another yes against my lips before you kiss me."

April's eyes darted to his lips too, the urge to kiss him just now was unbearable inside her. She leaned closer to him, but he backed away from her, clearly not finished with his remarks. "I will smile into the kiss, no believing how lucky I am to become your husband again."

He paused for a moment, bringing is hand to her jaw, caressing it. "That's how I will do it. Is that OK with you?"

It took April a moment or two to recover from his words. She was lost in his eyes; overwhelmed by all the love he showered her in by proposing things like that. "This sounds perfect actually. I think I would like that very much."

"We will get there, I promise. A big wedding if that's what you want. All of our family and friends watching while we commit to each other," Jackson said.

"We'll decide that when we cross that bridge," April answered, not trying to think ahead just yet like Jackson had asked her to. They should enjoy the moment, no need to worry about the future.

"We have everything else. We're living together; we have a daughter and another child on the way. A wedding is nothing what we urgently need. We will do it, but I will do it right. Please, let me do this the right way." Jackson seemed serious of his request, and April could not take this from him, not when he looked at her the way he did right now. His head tilted to a side, a small smile playing on his lips.

Finally, April took advantage of the opportunity, giving in to the urge she had been holding back all this time. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. The beard tickled her skin, but also made her shiver, which made the kiss even more intense. The kiss sealed a deal of a promising and happy future together.

April was not surprised when Jackson sneaked his arms around her, getting her closer to him, embracing her with such fondness, yet with such force, April thought she could not handle all of his emotion. Her hands started to roam his chest, his shoulders and then his upper arms. When Jackson nudged her hips to jump up, April compiled without a second thought, wrapping his legs around his middle. She started to caress his back with one hand while the other caressed his face, letting all the love she felt for him at the moment getting poured into the kiss.

Without telling him to move them to the bedroom, Jackson made his way to the hallway, having to stop at some point, pushing April against the wall, searching for some kind of friction between them. A flat surface was a flat surface. A wall was just as good as a bed, even though April preferred to be in a horizontal position. Jackson broke the kiss, to get rid of April's top, which did not serve any purpose anymore since one of his hand had pushed it up to seek the warmth of her skin.

Both of them were panting heavily, and April broke the hungry kiss, which made her brain all mushy in all the right ways. She rested her forehead against Jackson's for a moment to catch her breath, smoothing her hands over his neck. When she noticed his breaths on her wrist, it brought a shiver down her spine and then a smile across her face.

April knew when she would kiss him now, there would be no holding back and she was more than ready to make this big step. She trusted him completely. There were only little details left, which needed to be hashed out, but other than that everything was back on track. It was so easy. All it took, was a few days in Montana to make them realize how well they worked together, how much they needed each other, and how much they still cared for one another. The time apart had done them good because right now it seemed like no time had passed.

They were a happy family, living together, one kid there, another one on the way, with the promise of getting married sooner or later. All that was left to do was to make it official in front of the public. The first trimester was over, and April was sure she would keep the baby, no miscarriage ahead, still running regular tests to check the baby was alright, but for now, it looked like they would have a healthy baby - just as healthy as Harriet.

They decided to tell their daughter about their plans, laying out how they would tell their colleagues and friends at work about their changes in their private life the morning after they had agreed to get married sometime in the future and after their consummation of their engagement.

They told Harriet how they would tell their respective families. Jackson and April giggled and gushed over their ideas and the prospect of seeing stunned faces today while they got Harriet ready together.

It was not necessary that both of them cared for her at the same time, they bumped into each other, bumping their hips together and brushing their hands over each other's wrists. And this time April knew these touches meant something. They meant they were happy and comfortable with each other. Again, they argued if Harriet should wear a t-shirt with ducklings or puppies on it, but it felt natural and very welcome.

"I hope you give me your blessings to marry your mom," Jackson whispered to Harriet, nuzzling her cheek for a moment before handing her over to April, who would feed her.

"No worries, nugget. We will wait for your sibling. We don't want her or him missing out on the big day, do we?" April sing-song for her, bumping her nose against Harriet's. It was April's favorite way to initiate body contact with her daughter. It was something she had picked up from Jackson, who nuzzled Harriet all the time.

Soon, they were off to work, dropping Harriet off at the nursery, making their way to drop off their personal belongings on the attending's lounge, talking through their plan once again. Before they left to work, Jackson glanced over his shoulder and then closed the distance between them to press a soft kiss on April's lips. April did not think twice and responded to the kiss, deepening it.

Without an early warning like footsteps or a knock on the door, suddenly, Catherine Avery's voice rang through the room, "What is-?"

But, she did not come far because Jackson had detached himself from April quickly, interrupting his mother before she could jump to conclusions. "There's more, Mom," he said.

April admired him for clearing his head so easily, while she had troubles to stand tall, she held on to Jackson's arm, steadying herself, catching her breath from the kiss Catherine had caught them in.

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Is this a sitting-down news or a standing-up one?"

"Sitting down," Jackson answered. "Definitely sitting-down."

When April saw the horror spreading across Catherine's face, she clarified, "Good sitting-down news."

Their plans were once again not meant to last. It seemed like adjusting to new situations and differing from the old plans was their thing. It had happened so often to them, and after all, everything had turned out fine for them.

 **THE END**

* * *

 _That's it. I hope you enjoyed this little japril super fluff story of mine. I'm not sure if they would have a girl or a boy, or twins like a couple of you guys envision for them. I wanted this to end on a happy note; everything back on track, heading into a happy future together. And I wanted to be Catherine involved. They story started off with her and it needed to end with her too._

 _I know this will turn i_ nto an AU story _with tonight's episode or if they don't give us any japril-scenes again with an episode coming sometime in the future it will be an AU story eventually. But, I will laugh out loud if only snippets of this prove to be right after all. I hope you will hear my laughter wherever you live._

 _All that is left to say is, thanks for reading, I appreciate everyone, who took the time to go with me on this journey. Let me know what you think. (:_


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